Technical knowledge compilation (Gamecubes, controllers, TVs, recording)

[oogway]

Difficult to say. For Melee notch values, I doubt many of the samples are accurate enough, although there might be enough variation within them. If Smash 4 doesn't require as precise notch values, they might be good enough and I would say that they are better than all the similar replacement types (except for original 'Mitsumi' ones, of course).

Great to hear, i'll use them as a last resort then. Did you get your caps yet?

 

[Uzzi]

Kadano or anyone else knowledgeable, have you seen or do you know anything about this stick box? It looks 3rd party to me and it feels very tight, while the c stick is pretty loose (Type 2). In 20XX 4.07, when I look at the values of the stick, it is very strange. What I mean by this is, is the dead zone is bigger than that of a regular stick. Also when the stick is about 75% of the way in any cardinal direction, it will reach 1.0, making its dash backs extremely consistent. I tested it a few times and one session I got 20/20 dash backs. Other times the worst was maybe 75% dash back rate. Im thinking of keeping it for now and play testing it to see if it lasts or if its bad for certain movements. It also sheild drops perfectly on the left side, which is a plus. Has anyone seen this stick? Any thoughts?

I used to know how to post pictures but its been so long that I forgot. Heres an Imgur Link https://imgur.com/a/zE401

 

[j a y c e]

Kadano or anyone else knowledgeable, have you seen or do you know anything about this stick box? It looks 3rd party to me and it feels very tight, while the c stick is pretty loose (Type 2). In 20XX 4.07, when I look at the values of the stick, it is very strange. What I mean by this is, is the dead zone is bigger than that of a regular stick. Also when the stick is about 75% of the way in any cardinal direction, it will reach 1.0, making its dash backs extremely consistent. I tested it a few times and one session I got 20/20 dash backs. Other times the worst was maybe 75% dash back rate. Im thinking of keeping it for now and play testing it to see if it lasts or if its bad for certain movements. It also sheild drops perfectly on the left side, which is a plus. Has anyone seen this stick? Any thoughts?

I used to know how to post pictures but its been so long that I forgot. Heres an Imgur Link https://imgur.com/a/zE401

I have a stickbox on an original GC controller that looks the exact same, I'm assuming it's OEM

 

[j a y c e]

Does anyone here have a Hori GC controller ( https://i.imgur.com/XEqRPmR.png ) that they would be willing ot break down for me? I'm interested if the internals are mainly OEM, or third party. From what I understand, they use OEM(Mitsumi) stickboxes, which seems super promising. I want to know the general quality of the other parts before I buy them, does anyone have any info regarding this?

 

[Kadano]

Great to hear, i'll use them as a last resort then. Did you get your caps yet?

I did, together with the buttons. The stick caps are not bad, but they have a bit less friction / grip than the original ones, at least initially. Hopefully this will improve with usage, but as of now, I don't feel they are good enough to use for controllers I sell.

Kadano or anyone else knowledgeable, have you seen or do you know anything about this stick box? It looks 3rd party to me and it feels very tight, while the c stick is pretty loose (Type 2). In 20XX 4.07, when I look at the values of the stick, it is very strange. What I mean by this is, is the dead zone is bigger than that of a regular stick. Also when the stick is about 75% of the way in any cardinal direction, it will reach 1.0, making its dash backs extremely consistent. I tested it a few times and one session I got 20/20 dash backs. Other times the worst was maybe 75% dash back rate. Im thinking of keeping it for now and play testing it to see if it lasts or if its bad for certain movements. It also sheild drops perfectly on the left side, which is a plus. Has anyone seen this stick? Any thoughts?

I used to know how to post pictures but its been so long that I forgot. Heres an Imgur Link https://imgur.com/a/zE401

Those are cheap low-quality third-party stickboxes that many people who sell refurbished controllers and don't alert buyers to the fact that they use non-original replacement parts put into controllers. The potentiometers have different ranges, which makes tilt inputs more difficult to input, but smash inputs easier, yeah. I don't think it's a good trade-off in total.

Does anyone here have a Hori GC controller ( https://i.imgur.com/XEqRPmR.png ) that they would be willing ot break down for me? I'm interested if the internals are mainly OEM, or third party. From what I understand, they use OEM(Mitsumi) stickboxes, which seems super promising. I want to know the general quality of the other parts before I buy them, does anyone have any info regarding this?

Hori controllers of this type always have original Mitsumi T3 stickboxes. The ABXY buttons use different silicone domes than Nintendo GCCs that have a more mushy click point and usually feel worse. The handles are more inclined which changes the way you have to move the stick for dashing a bit.
The plastic of the shell also is a bit different from Nintendo GCCs. It feels a bit less sturdy and took considerably less effort to file through when carving a hybrid gate onto it.
In total, they are slightly behind types like JP08, full clear or Smash Edition, I'd say, but might be equal or even slightly better for people who prefer their shape. Getting good ABXY button domes might be a bit of a lottery with them.

 

[reverie2]

Posted this in a different subforum, but think this is a better place to ask...

When I run with fox and do a short hop nair, for some reason, a lot of them recently have been turning into fairs. I feel like I'm releasing back to neutral position after the shorthop but it's still happening. And I haven't had this issue before and I've been playing fox for 3 years.

Is it possible this is a controller issue (maybe having to do with snapback)? I tested it with a 2nd controller and used the exact same inputs, and i don't seem to be getting fairs. It feels like something changed with my controller

 

[Kadano]

Posted this in a different subforum, but think this is a better place to ask...

When I run with fox and do a short hop nair, for some reason, a lot of them recently have been turning into fairs. I feel like I'm releasing back to neutral position after the shorthop but it's still happening. And I haven't had this issue before and I've been playing fox for 3 years.

Is it possible this is a controller issue (maybe having to do with snapback)? I tested it with a 2nd controller and used the exact same inputs, and i don't seem to be getting fairs. It feels like something changed with my controller

I've replied to you here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SSBM/comments/83t3eu/potential_controller_issue/

Quote:
"It's a type of potentiometer degradation. The electrical signal doesn't adjust to the physical position of the stick instantly as it should. It's possible to remove it by cleaning and lubricating the potentiometer, however you should really only let this be done by an expert as potentiometers are very easy to damage if you aren't experienced in handling it.

You can send me a PM if you want to send the controller to me and have me do it.

I haven't fully documented potentiometer degradation yet, but I explained it briefly here if you are interested: https://twitter.com/Kadano/status/952672880512372736"

 

[reverie2]

I've replied to you here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SSBM/comments/83t3eu/potential_controller_issue/

Quote:
"It's a type of potentiometer degradation. The electrical signal doesn't adjust to the physical position of the stick instantly as it should. It's possible to remove it by cleaning and lubricating the potentiometer, however you should really only let this be done by an expert as potentiometers are very easy to damage if you aren't experienced in handling it.

You can send me a PM if you want to send the controller to me and have me do it.

I haven't fully documented potentiometer degradation yet, but I explained it briefly here if you are interested: https://twitter.com/Kadano/status/952672880512372736"

Thanks so much man. I"m going to stop by the store today to get some silicon grease and i'll try it out. I'll take the risk of damaging it.

EDIT: just wanted to add another question. If my c stick inputs are not always accurate (down on c stick turns into horizontal input, up on c stick turns into horizontal input), will this also fix my c stick?

 

[Kadano]

Thanks so much man. I"m going to stop by the store today to get some silicon grease and i'll try it out. I'll take the risk of damaging it.

EDIT: just wanted to add another question. If my c stick inputs are not always accurate (down on c stick turns into horizontal input, up on c stick turns into horizontal input), will this also fix my c stick?

Don't buy silicone grease, that would cause way more problems than it would solve.
Lubricating the potentiometers is difficult, I advise to only have the controller serviced by someone who is skilled and qualified.
I plan to make a video tutorial on eliminating PODE through lubrication, but it would take quite some time to make it easy to understand and put emphasis on the necessary steps; time that I can't afford to give out for free right now.

Until I have that tutorial ready, please either send in the controller to me or someone else who is really skilled or hold on to it.

 

[reverie2]

Don't buy silicone grease, that would cause way more problems than it would solve.
Lubricating the potentiometers is difficult, I advise to only have the controller serviced by someone who is skilled and qualified.
I plan to make a video tutorial on eliminating PODE through lubrication, but it would take quite some time to make it easy to understand and put emphasis on the necessary steps; time that I can't afford to give out for free right now.

Until I have that tutorial ready, please either send in the controller to me or someone else who is really skilled or hold on to it.

I saw you made a youtube tutorial on it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmfWs-bOpFM&t=0s&index=2&list=LL3JyPJ_m90pJK . Is that different than what you're describing? I might just do it anyway despite the risk. I could send it to you, but that might take too long so I don't mind just risking my controller. What do you think the odds of success are?

 

[Kadano]

I saw you made a youtube tutorial on it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmfWs-bOpFM&t=0s&index=2&list=LL3JyPJ_m90pJK . Is that different than what you're describing? I might just do it anyway despite the risk. I could send it to you, but that might take too long so I don't mind just risking my controller. What do you think the odds of success are?

Yes, that's something completely different and will not help with your current issue in the slightest bit.

Quote from the video's description: "*I advise AGAINST doing this mod!* If you have problems with snapback, do the capacitor mod instead."

The odds of success in terms of fixing your current issue are 0%. The odds of not introducing even bigger issues with your stick are about 20%.

 

[oogway]

Kadano,

To date, what is the best way to source a new potentiometer aside from using old controllers? Have you located a reliable supplier? Still looking for one myself, I've been using the ones i've found before and so far they're ok.

 

[Kadano]

Kadano,

To date, what is the best way to source a new potentiometer aside from using old controllers? Have you located a reliable supplier? Still looking for one myself, I've been using the ones i've found before and so far they're ok.

The ones from the "type 4" / "type 1 black fake" stickboxes (Alibaba / AliExpress) to me appear identical to the ones originally used with type 3 stickboxes. I'm pretty confident that they were made by the exact same factory, even. It might even be that these stickboxes themselves are "original" (made by Mitsumi, I suppose), although since the stickbox part plastic is of a different material, I'm not too sure about that.

In any case, the potentiometers on them are completely fine. Even disassembled, they look exactly the same as those of type 3 stickboxes.

 

[oogway]

Excellent, i'll be sure to pick up some more then.

The caps i mentioned earlier didn't work out so well :/ They lasted much longer than others i tried but because there is silicone on top and bottom of the cap, it sometimes catches which is annoying.

I now have everything i need to "cast" proper cap replacements using smooth-ons "Task 4" plastic which is excellent for thin parts under stress. Going to cast it tonight and see how it goes.

 

[Cakestepid]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but where is a good place to get replacement sticks? My left analog stick broke recently, i.e my cat managed to chew off the thumpad. Since the stickbox still works am I able to just grab a stick from a third party I have lying around or no?

 

[Kadano]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but where is a good place to get replacement sticks? My left analog stick broke recently, i.e my cat managed to chew off the thumpad. Since the stickbox still works am I able to just grab a stick from a third party I have lying around or no?

Sadly, none of the third-party stick knobs are quite as good as the original ones. The only ones that I find to have at least equal friction are the Playstation style ones, but they require a pretty large amount of modification to fit properly.

Some of the third-party GCC type stick knobs are okay, but they don't have nearly the same friction on the rubber as original ones, and they also tend to sit too low and thus require a bit of modification.

 

[DonOwens]

This thread is extremely valuable, and I want to thank you Kadano for the amount of time and effort you've put in for everything. Just by reading I have learned a lot.
I thought I would add one thing that I recently found out about, that can basically be an easy, economical replacement for a capture card: A camcorder with AV in capabilities. Not very hard to find, mine was about $40 (dm for specific details,) which came with an rca/rca>3.5mm y splitter. Apart from the camcorder you need 2 rca couplers and an rca y splitter.
Plug the male part of the rca splitter to the video (yellow) on the tv, and connect both the game system's and the camcorder's yellow plugs to the y splitter connected to the tv. Now, for the remaining 2 white and 2 yellow plugs from the console and camcorder, couple them together. Press record when ready and you're good to go.
If this isn't helpful for anyone, sorry for poop posting. If this is too confusing, message me with questions.

 

[FlyteSSBM]

Has anyone done a teardown of the PDP pads yet? I'm trying to find the cheapest option to begin hoarding Type 3 stickboxes for eventual replacements, and I'm wondering if they may have them.

 

[Dohald]

Hi there,
I just made a account just to give shout outs to oogway and Kadano , a lot of good information here!
While searching for good alternatives to replace my left stick cap, I stepped on this thread and saw your post oogway:

For any one interested.

These are ( from what i can tell through testing ) original game cube controller stick boxes. Got a sample of 26 and they work perfectly even after a solid 100 hours of heavy use in Smash 4.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.125.46dbed07FJLChT

Also found these caps which work better than anything i've found on ebay/amazon

https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.225.46dbed07FJLChT

The caps are really good quality....the only issue is there seems to be a wax/plastic coating on these caps and after using them for a few sessions i started to notice this coating rubbing off on the corners of the controller, which caused the cap to "stick" when moving in a circle. I might try to dip the caps in hot water and see if that helps. Once removed they should last just as long as the OEM ones.

Plus they come in 10 colors!

So I got a couple of questions, would be cool if you could help a stranger in need

1. You mentioned the wax plastic coating... were you able to remove the wax layers or are they permanent?

2. So these caps you mentioned have really piqued my interest, I wanted to buy these for myself (personal use only). I don't run any business, can I still order from alibaba or do I need to resort to some third party seller? Sorry, I am completely new to alibaba and this kind of stuff, just your everyday gamer who is looking to prolong his controllers life x)

3. oogway and Kadano , both of you mentioned you bought a bunch of these caps oogway linked to. Would you be willing to sell and ship some of them to me (I live outside of the US)? I'm looking to buy two pairs from each color, preferably white and blue/black (if available).

4. I also found these on alibaba:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...spm=a2700.details.maylikehoz.7.6ee141effefosh

Does by any chance someone have experience with them? They don't look too shabby on the pictures, but you never know...

Thanks, keep up the good work, it's really appreciated!

 

[Kadano]

2. So these caps you mentioned have really piqued my interest, I wanted to buy these for myself (personal use only). I don't run any business, can I still order from alibaba or do I need to resort to some third party seller? Sorry, I am completely new to alibaba and this kind of stuff, just your everyday gamer who is looking to prolong his controllers life x)

You can order from Alibaba as a private person, however you still need to meet the MOQ (minimum order quantity), usually 50 pieces.

3. oogway and Kadano , both of you mentioned you bought a bunch of these caps oogway linked to. Would you be willing to sell and ship some of them to me (I live outside of the US)? I'm looking to buy two pairs from each color, preferably white and blue/black (if available).

I only have white stick knob + button sets at the moment, but I could send you a couple of them, yeah.

4. I also found these on alibaba:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...spm=a2700.details.maylikehoz.7.6ee141effefosh


Does by any chance someone have experience with them? They don't look too shabby on the pictures, but you never know...

I have two third-party types, one of which looks quite similar and is pretty good. I've never had the one you linked, seems like it's worth trying them!

 

[yellowsnow4free]

Hey guys, thanks to Kadano and oogway for sharing their findings on replacement stickboxes and caps/knobs.

I've recently got back into GC/Wii so I've been tinkering with my GC controllers, trying to refurb them.

I'm looking into replacement stickboxes and a little into caps/knobs. I have some spare PS2 caps and I put one on my sloppy GC stickbox and it fits, but is very tight; is this normal? I haven't tried an OEM PS3 one for comparison.

 

[Kadano]

Define "very tight". I'm not sure what technical issue you are referring to with that term.

 

[yellowsnow4free]

As in, it was a very tight fit putting the PS2 cap on the GC stick. Removing the cap actually took a lot of force, much more than I remember it took to remove the GC caps from the GC sticks.

 

[Kadano]

As in, it was a very tight fit putting the PS2 cap on the GC stick. Removing the cap actually took a lot of force, much more than I remember it took to remove the GC caps from the GC sticks.

Oh, yeah, I have that too with most PS-style caps. It's good though, much better to have them fit tightly than loosely.

 

[yellowsnow4free]

Oh, yeah, I have that too with most PS-style caps. It's good though, much better to have them fit tightly than loosely.

OK cool, sounds like they're fitting as expected then. Is there a source for good 3rd party PS-style caps? I noticed my main stick cap is beginning to wear down on the rubber.

Just to share my info here, I was recently looking at my spare PS2 sticks and noticed they're made by Alps. I was looking at their joysticks page and noticed this RKJXV1220001

Looking at the dimensions, the stick box looks like an almost perfect match, although it is a little taller than the Mitsumi (type 1) GC stick box.

I've reached out to Alps to get a pair as samples, just to test fit. So far I've received 1 reply a day after reaching out asking for more info on the school I'm attending and the project I'm working on; we'll see if this pans out.

 

[Dohald]

I only have white stick knob + button sets at the moment, but I could send you a couple of them, yeah.



I have two third-party types, one of which looks quite similar and is pretty good. I've never had the one you linked, seems like it's worth trying them!

Hey, I tried to private message you Kadano , I think Its called conversation on smashboards (Sry, new n00b here). Please take a look and reply when you have the time for it

https://smashboards.com/conversations/ngc-controller-replacement-parts.809542/

Also, I bought some replacement parts from alibaba, including the aforementioned caps. I will report back when I get them If they are worth anything.

 

[yellowsnow4free]

For any one interested.

These are ( from what i can tell through testing ) original game cube controller stick boxes. Got a sample of 26 and they work perfectly even after a solid 100 hours of heavy use in Smash 4.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.125.46dbed07FJLChT

Hey oogway , it sounds like the stick boxes you shared might be the best option for a Type 1 and Type 2 replacement? I happened to be browsing Alibaba this morning and I found what looks like the same stick boxes, but with a lower minimum quantity:

https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...alleryofferlist.normalList.253.7ddb48abPkyZUU

If these are good I might go this route, especially since they're cheaper than the Alps option I've been looking into (no reply on a product sample yet).

Just curious on your input (and Kadano 's) on these stick boxes.

Thanks!

 

[Dohald]

Hey guys,
after a friendly chat with Kadano he sent me a link to a new ebayer who actually sells the stick knobs for individual buyers as a complete button set.
The stick knobs are the ones oogway and Kadano mentioned before:

https://www.ebay.at/itm/Thumbsticks...var=452640446041&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Also, the sticks I bought (and mentioned above) arrived, but I want to wait for my full replacement set before I give my opinion on them, but so far one of the two different knob sets I bought seems promising. But the other set doesnt seem so good. I will report back when I have tried them out in a couple of sessions.

 

[Dohald]

Hey guys its me again.

So I tried the new caps I got on a second-hand NGC controller that I bought off ebay, which had a really loose left analog stick.

I bought these replacement parts:

Cap Replacements:

1. Cap Type A

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1se...1c1f-4d80-91d9-8e01da638daa&priceBeautifyAB=0

2. Cap Type B

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/For...5298-4a2e-9a07-34c0896e1e02&priceBeautifyAB=0

3. Cap Type C (from oogway and kadano)

https://www.ebay.at/itm/Thumbsticks-ABXY-Buttons-Thumbsticks-D-pad-Mod-Kit-for-Nintendo-NGC-Console/152832962103?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=452640446041&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Stickbboxes/Joystick replacement (oogway's recommendation):

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pc...1c1f-4d80-91d9-8e01da638daa&priceBeautifyAB=0


Conductive rubber replacement (from kadano):

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/xun...d-for-Controller-Replacement/32836421096.html


I installed the stickboxes as my old one was very loose. Installation was very straightforward and easy. Actually, it was my first time soldering a new stickbox in a controller, but with this vid it was done in about 1 hour, highly recommended for other n00bz who may be afraid of doing it themselves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCXxOZBUk0o

To show the differences in the caps I took some pics:

https://postimg.cc/gallery/3ckizb0vc/

From left to right: Original Gamecube Cap / Cap Type A / Cap Type B

As you can see, both replacement caps show height differences. Cap Type B is a little bit higher than the original one and Type A a little lower. Also, if you look in the pic with the top view, you see that the rubber from the first two looks mostly the same, but the rightmost cap (Type B) has a real unnatural look to it. And you can feel it accordingly when you hold it in your hands. The rubber doesn't feel so good while as the rubber from the Type A cap has a more softer feeling to it. BUT, none of the replacement caps have the same feeling/friction as the original one. Still, cap type A feels pretty good and gives good friction. It doesn't feel cheaply made. The original cap has a softer feel to it. On the type A cap you feel the indentation circles on the cap a little bit more than on the original ones. It gives you a little bit more grip at the cost of being a little harder in the rubber and ultimately on your thumb, which could be felt if you play for longer periods of time (maybe around the 5h mark idk. For me it didn't feel anything different than usual, but I play like for 1 to 2 hours per session.) i didn't try out the type B cap at all, it just didn't feel right to me to try it out. As for the height differences, for type A you can easily mitigate the differences by putting a little bit of wool on the indentation where you put it on the joystick, but you can't really do any kind of modification on type B.
So I would say, the Type A cap is a pretty good replacement, while Type B sucks ballz bebe.

As for the Type C cap. I haven't got it yet, but I will update my post when I get my hands on them.

Now, to the stickboxes:

I should state that I currently have my most play time on a black smash 4 controller from 2014, so every comparison I make is to this model.

I only replaced my left analog stick. It feels really good. Dash dancing, wavedashing, haxdashes, SHFFL's, moon walks and pivots work like a charm. The only downside I felt was that the stick feels heavier in the spring resistance compared to the original one. I think this makes your smash tilts and pivots easier, but at the cost of harder to do tilts. At least this was the case for me. Tilts were harder to do for me on the stick than on my smash 4 controller. Maybe if you put a little bit of lubrication on them or if you play some more sessions they will get better? I dunno, Kadano do you have any thoughts on this or maybe even some other stickbox recommendations? But all in all, this is a real good and legit replacement stick even if you play smash on a competitive level.


Last, but no least: the conductive rubber.

So I said that I bought a second hand controller off ebay and it really showed: Pushing the face buttons really felt wacky and loose. They worked alright, but they didn't really feel satisfactory. Replacing them with the new rubber parts felt like breath of fresh air. pushing the face buttons now feels much more responsive and crisp than before. In fact, I would say the rubber has a more, how do describe it, more "springy" feeling than my original smash 4 controller. It feels like the buttons have been pushed a little bit higher from underneath than usual compared to original controllers. But i don't mean it in a bad way, it just feels different. I could still do my short jumps and SHFFLs perfectly. My wavedash timing was a little bit off when I tried to do successive wave dashes very fast. But it could have just been that I wasn't really warm yet as I had not played for a week prior to testing the controllers. Still, I can really recommend the conductive rubber replacements

Anyway, I hope my reviews could help some of my smasher bros out or some kind soul in the future who will by chance find this thread. Also shoutout to Kadano for this thread!

 

[Kadano]

Hey guys its me again.

So I tried the new caps I got on a second-hand NGC controller that I bought off ebay, which had a really loose left analog stick.

Thanks for your in-depth comparison! I have both of these replacement knobs (A and B), and actually I reached the opposite conclusion as you did. Type A does look a bit better, as it's not as glossy, however the hard surface provides barely any friction, so it's prone to slipping off accidentally.

I personally use Type A only for C-sticks, they work better there for thenar grip than original yellow C-stick knobs, and their low height actually helps not pushing the stick by accident. Even for that, inserting a spacer is necessary, though.

As for the stickbox, from how the F-Zero GX stick response looks like in the video you linked, it seems to me that the potentiometers have a range that's larger than on original potentiometers. That's probably the main reason for why you experience difficulty in doing tilts. The higher stick spring tightness surely added to that, but I'd bet on the potentiometers making up for more.

I think that the xunbeifang stickboxes are much better as replacements: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10p...e-original-Controller-Repair/32849164738.html
They are just as cheap, with about 1€ per piece, and they actually use original potentiometers. There's even a chance that they were used in original Nintendo products, namely Nunchuks, as they are frequently found in these, however it's difficult to say whether they were really put in there at the Mitsumi (?) factory or whether someone services Nunchuks in huge quantities and always puts in these stickboxes.

Still, like I wrote before, the xunbeifang / Type 4 stickboxes are not lubricated and have mediocre notch accuracy. So, after lubricating them a little bit (for longevity), they are okay when playing on UCF or Smash 4, but on vanilla Melee, not so much.

About the conductive pads, I measured their force resistance, and the L/R pads have only about 3 N click resistance – original new ones have 5 N. I personally think that 3 N are much better, however it contradicts your claim that they are "more springy" than new Smash 4 controllers (which range from 4.7 to 5.5 N, in my measurements).

 

[Dohald]

Thanks for your in-depth comparison! I have both of these replacement knobs (A and B), and actually I reached the opposite conclusion as you did. Type A does look a bit better, as it's not as glossy, however the hard surface provides barely any friction, so it's prone to slipping off accidentally.

I personally use Type A only for C-sticks, they work better there for thenar grip than original yellow C-stick knobs, and their low height actually helps not pushing the stick by accident. Even for that, inserting a spacer is necessary, though. .

Haha really interesting to see two persons have exactly opposite experiences, I guess at the end of the day it comes to the players preference
Meanwhile I actually got the Type C sticks. As Zenith has made a in depth video review on them I will keep myself short:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ox_qHLzPJw

I personally think from out of the three sticks I bought, these are actually the best of them. At least in build quality. They feel to me very much like original sticks or at least come closest to them. The rubber is a little bit softer than the Type A and B ones, which I prefer. I only had the problem of the sticks sticking to the case and being very unresponsive at first. This problem could be very easily alleviated by just pulling the sticks out a little bit from their places after re-assembling the controller. I just pulled them out only a little bit, not all the way to the end. Its really weird. If you push them all the way through, they come in contact with idk what and show resistance, but if you pull them out as far as you can they AGAIN come in contact with I guess this time with the controller shell and then again show resistance. But if you pull em out juuust right, they work like a charm. I dunno haha maybe I'm just ******** xD

DISCLAIMER: For me, only the left sticks and the face buttons/trigger buttons were of actual use. The z button and right c-stick actually didn't fit in the case at all!!! I would only recommend the product only if you are interested in the replacement LEFT sticks!

As for the stickbox, from how the F-Zero GX stick response looks like in the video you linked, it seems to me that the potentiometers have a range that's larger than on original potentiometers. That's probably the main reason for why you experience difficulty in doing tilts. The higher stick spring tightness surely added to that, but I'd bet on the potentiometers making up for more.

I think that the xunbeifang stickboxes are much better as replacements: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10p...e-original-Controller-Repair/32849164738.html
They are just as cheap, with about 1€ per piece, and they actually use original potentiometers. There's even a chance that they were used in original Nintendo products, namely Nunchuks, as they are frequently found in these, however it's difficult to say whether they were really put in there at the Mitsumi (?) factory or whether someone services Nunchuks in huge quantities and always puts in these stickboxes.
Still, like I wrote before, the xunbeifang / Type 4 stickboxes are not lubricated and have mediocre notch accuracy. So, after lubricating them a little bit (for longevity), they are okay when playing on UCF or Smash 4, but on vanilla Melee, not so much.

Hmm really interesting, thank you for your recommendation. I will order these and try them out and report back how they feel. Still, it seems we still haven't found a reliable source of third party replacement stick boxes. So I guess if you (for vanilla melee) want the best replacement possible, it would be salvaged stickboxes out of old OEM controllers right? Bummer... at least we will get a new influx of actual new nintendo controllers at the end of this year thanks to smash 5 LOL

About the conductive pads, I measured their force resistance, and the L/R pads have only about 3 N click resistance – original new ones have 5 N. I personally think that 3 N are much better, however it contradicts your claim that they are "more springy" than new Smash 4 controllers (which range from 4.7 to 5.5 N, in my measurements).

Haha, I guess I need to apologize for my term "more springy". That can lead to misinterpretation. I really didn't know how to describe it better. Obviously I didn't conduct any scientfic measurements and my description of them was purely subjective to my first hand experience. Really good to have someone like you that can show us the differences in a real objective matter x)
That said, after some time playing with them and changing back and forth between a controller with original rubber and the replacement rubber I actually would now say that the original ones feel "tighter" and better for me (again sorry for my lack of real description), IF they are in good condition. Also, this was my first time replacing the rubber pads with third party pads, so I would be very interested to try others out to make a better comparison in the future. Do you by any chance have any recommendations Kadano you would recommend? Thanks

EDIT 3: edited my two first edits out because they were unnecessary bull****, sorry folks

 

[oogway]

Sorry I haven't checked back in awhile. A TON of excellent links towards potential GC parts. Just as a general statement, i do still have a bunch of blue, red, and green caps if anyone wants any. Just send me a PM, or buy your own from the link D Dohald posted.

Addressing the "wax" issue. The best thing i found to do was to take a razor blade and scrap off the wax on the neck of the cap. That, then sanding with a fine grit helped a bunch. BUT the silicone on the bottom of the cap (just under the rim of where your thumb sits on the cap) still can catch on the corners of the controller. Further more, after about 6 months of use the grips on the silicone top start to wear fast and become very smooth. They are still an ok replacement part but only temporarily.

A few months back i became so frustrated about the lack of options we had, i started looking into making my own. At first i tried 3d printing one, though my printer still needs a bit of calibration to accurately print the details needed. Still working on doing this but i've had much better success trying to cast a new cap. I sourced some excellent plastic resin from smooth on (task 4) and began making some really solid and durable copies. Only last step is to acquire some stiff silicone for the top grip. Will post back on progress. Once i make a reliable silicone mold, I can make full ready to use copies.

It's funny... all of this just to repair a controller lol. It would have been so much easier if we had access to reliable parts from Nintendo!! I regret nothing though, it has been a lot of fun trying to get/make proper parts. Kadano was the first to inspire me to dig into the world of controller repair, that dude is seriously the guru when it comes to GC repair!

Anyways, i'll check back to reply if anyone has any other questions.

Keep up the hunt!!

 

[jmlee337]

A few months back i became so frustrated about the lack of options we had, i started looking into making my own. At first i tried 3d printing one, though my printer still needs a bit of calibration to accurately print the details needed. Still working on doing this but i've had much better success trying to cast a new cap. I sourced some excellent plastic resin from smooth on (task 4) and began making some really solid and durable copies. Only last step is to acquire some stiff silicone for the top grip. Will post back on progress. Once i make a reliable silicone mold, I can make full ready to use copies.

You're casting sticks? I haven't heard of anyone else doing that

 

[oogway]

You're casting sticks? I haven't heard of anyone else doing that

Yep, here are a few shots of one of the first I made. Mind you the top would be sanded down and replaced with a casted "stiff" silicone for long lasting grip. The stuff i sourced was industrial strength.

https://ibb.co/chhMK8
https://ibb.co/daxoz8
https://ibb.co/d0Qae8

 

[jmlee337]

and that's with silicone molds? The bottom side looks better than I would've guessed

 

[oogway]

Yep, using oomoo30 silicone and task 4 resin from smooth-on.

 

[Dohald]

really interested to see what your results on the stick molds will be oogway , please keep us updated !

Addressing the "wax" issue. The best thing i found to do was to take a razor blade and scrap off the wax on the neck of the cap. That, then sanding with a fine grit helped a bunch. BUT the silicone on the bottom of the cap (just under the rim of where your thumb sits on the cap) still can catch on the corners of the controller. Further more, after about 6 months of use the grips on the silicone top start to wear fast and become very smooth. They are still an ok replacement part but only temporarily.

I want to point out, that this wax issue did not occur to me at all. I bought my first batch of these button sets on ebay in late April/Mai, so maybe they are being fabricated a little bit differently now? But I haven`t used my controllers with the button sets too much, maybe a little bit less than 5 hours. I dunno. oogway, do you remember when your sticks started to show these symptoms?

Also, I need to revise about what I said about the bottom sets. After some research and trying, I have come to the conclusion that if you tinker with them a little bit, both sticks can be fit properly into the shells without any problems. Also if you modify the z button, it will fit in OEM shells too.
There are some nice videos on the resource channel of the customGCC discord server on this topic, really recommended !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDrLkZxYVqs

That said, I found on ebay some new button sets with translucent colors! real nice. Just search on ebay "ngc buttons" and scroll down a little bit, example:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Ersatz-Tast...931484?hash=item1cb1bb609c:g:YQAAAOSwSwNbQ0dr

I bought the blue and pink ones, if someone is interested, I will review them.

And I bought a bunch of conductive rubber sets off aliexpress from different sellers. I will try them out when they arrive and report back.

Lastly, I installed the stickboxes oogway and kadano talked about. They are great, much better than the green stickboxes I reviewed further up. They just show a little bit more resistance in comparison to my smash 4 stick (box) for example. QUESTION: If I lubricate them, will this help them be easier/lighter to move ? Kadano , any thoughts? Thanks y'all

 

[oogway]

I'm sure it's possible they've upgraded their process. Or that i got a bad batch, however i've experienced the wax issue with every stick i've replaced. Happy to hear the stick boxes worked for you. I've still got about 15 of them myself.